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This annual BYOB dinner held to benefit the New York
Hemophilia Association has to be one world’s premier food and wine events. We
enjoyed breathtaking array of the world’s greatest wines, many of them from
large formats. Chef Daniel Boulud and his staff prepared an extraordinary meal,
especially considering they were cooking for 120 guests. The kitchen was on as
every dish was phenomenal. The black truffle risotto and milk-fed veal were
particularly of note, although it was hard to single out favorites on this
menu.

Our first three wines were a bit of a mixed bag. The 1961 Charles Heidsieck Dry Monopole
(disgorged 1989) revealed a full array of smoke, caramel and roasted nut
flavors, with notes of oxidation that suggested this wine is on the downward
slope of its aging curve. Philipponnat’s
1989 Réserve Spéciale (magnum) was awkward. Some tasters suggested
oxidation was the culprit; others thought poor storage may have been the issue.
Regardless, this was a disappointing bottle. The 1982 Dom Pérignon Rosé was pretty and delicate, but had probably
seen better days. Even with a heartbreaking, corked bottle of the 1989 Philipponnat Clos de Goisses, this
was a monumental flight of 1989 Champagnes. The 1989 Krug was explosive on the nose and full-bodied on the palate
where it offered a racy, almost wild expression of sweet, ripe fruit. The 1989 Krug Clos du Mesnil was a
decidedly more feminine wine, with a layered, nuanced personality and a
perfumed, silky-textured quality that was remarkable. This was a monumental
bottle. The 1989 Roederer Cristal was
the most understated of these three wines. It showed incredible clarity and
depth, with superbly well-delineated, floral notes intertwined with ripe fruit.
It was hauntingly beautiful and a reminder that Cristal is a wine that blossoms
with bottle age. Bollinger’s 1989
Vielles Vignes Françaises was somewhat controversial. A group of tasters
loved the richness and weight of the Pinot fruit, but I was among those who
found it lacking a touch of elegance, especially when compared to the previous
wines, which may have been an impossible standard to match. I also found is the
most advanced of these 1989 Champagnes. Nevertheless, it was a privilege to
taste this rare wine.

Two beautiful white Burgundies bridged the gap to the reds. Niellon’s 1988 Bâtard-Montrachet revealed
notable complexity in its smoke, earthiness and ripe, generous fruit while Lafon’s 1992 Meursault Perrières came
across as more delicate and understated. I loved Camille Giroud’s Vosne-Romanée
for its vibrant, ripe fruit and superb density. It still showed remarkable
depth of color, and was an absolutely delicious wine. The 1972 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche offered pretty
aromatics with fully resolved tannins and a medium-bodied, feminine personality.
This La Tâche was quite enjoyable even if it wasn’t the knockout that top
vintages so often are.

The 1961 Giacomo
Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino was good but not great. At its best the
1961 can be a superb Monfortino but this bottle was more advanced than I had
hoped for. It was still a pretty wine, but not a profound wine. “What is this?”
was the common reaction as tasters sampled Emidio
Pepe’s 1967 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. This bottle was absolutely beautiful
even if it was impossible to say how representative it was of the vintage based
on its deep color and massive amounts of fruit. A flight of 1970s that followed
(all from magnums) was special, to say the least. The 1970 Chateau Latour was incredibly fresh in its generous expression
of fruit, with a full-bodied, intense personality. I thought this bottle was
very slightly corked, but I was among the distinct minority in that opinion.
The 1970 Vega Sicilia (magnum) was a
stunner. It showed superb clarity and precision as it flowed onto the palate with
endless layers of flavor. It too came across as quite youthful, yet its
pedigree and potential were unmistakable. The 1970 Petrus (magnum) was sweet,
generous and full-bodied if surprisingly simple considering its reputation.

I have had Gaja’s
1985 Barbaresco Costa Russi on a number of occasions, but this particular
bottle was especially glorious. There are few Piedmont vintages that deliver as
much pleasure today as the 1985s do, but provenance is key, as this bottle
demonstrated. Bartolo Mascarello’s 1986
Barolo (magnum) also enjoyed a very strong showing. The old man himself
acknowledged that his 1986, from a forgotten, insiders’ vintage, was superior
to the1985 and on this night the wine was simply beautiful, fresh and full of
life. The wine of that vintage is probably Bruno
Giacosa’s 1986 Barolo Riserva Falletto and luckily I had a chance to sample
it briefly before the bottle mysteriously disappeared. There must have been
something in the air that night with Giacosa’s wines. I had a small taste of
the 1990 Barolo Falletto Riserva (magnum)
before the glass was literally taken from me by an enthusiastic guest. It was
that kind of evening! Scavino’s 1978
Barolo Riserva Bric del Fiasc was a textbook example of the sturdy, firm
wines of the vintage, although it came across as a little rustic compared to
some of the other wines of the evening.

Three delicious Champagnes provided a wonderful bookend to
the evening, and a satisfying palate cleanser for those who moved on to the
next stop. Dom Pérignon’s 1993
Oenothèque was a very pretty, slender wine with attractive notes of smoke,
yeast and roasted nuts. The 1996 Dom
Pérignon Rosé was a knock out. It showed terrific clarity in its perfumed,
sweet fruit, roses and spices, with notable balance and superb classiness. Alain Robert’s 1990 Mesnil was
remarkably pure, focused and taut. It came across as young and still holding
back quite a bit of potential. This lean, powerful style of Champagne may not
appeal to every palate, but it was the perfect wine to close the evening. For
those who continued on, all I can say is I admire your stamina!